Dhenkanal: Yet again a farmer has allegedly been trampled to death by a tusker in the district here. While the tragic incident has been reported from Kainsha village under the Sadar Forest Range limits, the deceased farmer has been identified as Ramesh Sahu.
Reports said that Ramesh was guarding his farm where he had grown vegetables. A tusker barged into the land late last night and began damaging the standing vegetable plants following which the poor farmer dared to drive the marauding pachyderm away from his farmland. The wild elephant attacked Ramesh and allegedly trampled him to death.
The aggrieved villagers have demanded that the Forest Department should immediately compensate the deceased’s bereft family members as he is a poor farmer.
The villagers also complained that the tusker has been unleashing a reign of terror in the area since long. They have demanded that the jumbo must be tranquilized immediately and shifted from the area.
Today morning the Forest officials rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation.
Bursting into tears, the deceased farmer’s nephew Ashok Sahu lamented, “My paternal uncle had grown vegetables and was guarding the farm. He encountered the elephant there and was killed.”
“If that tusker isn’t tranquilized soon, it will keep on wreaking havoc here in our village. Soon after killing my uncle, it has also damaged even a stone-laden wall,” he demanded.
An aggrieved villager Bibhu Prasad Dehury reacted, “Last night around 1 am, deceased Ramesh Sahu had been guarding his cropland. As he was alone there, he encountered the jumbo and got killed. The tragic incident has happened between 1.30-2 am late last night. We got the information around 2 am and rushed to the spot.”
“A tusker has been roaming in our area between Kapilas and Sadar Forest Range since long. The tusker has already attacked three persons resulting in the death of two persons while another person is lying invalid. The Forest Department should install solar fencing along all the main routes. When only the tusker is debarred from entering our habitats, our lives could saved,” he demanded.
